Electric clock-driving mechanism



April 1, 1931. M. H. KAEFER I ELECTRIC CLOCK DRIVING MECHANISM Filed March 28, 1928 a m m Q MK m ma m I I ATTORNEY.

Y I g [I J I Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENroF IcE MARTIN HERMANN'KAEFER, or LA sAILLE. ILLINOIS, essrenon To WESTERN CLOCK COMPANY, or res-U, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS:

ELECTRIC CLOCK-DRIVING MECHANISM r Application filed. March 28, 1928. Serial 1%. 265,280. X

the electro-magnet' has beenenergized bythe closing of the contacts to charge the power storing means employed.

A further object .of my invention is to produce a device of this character that will be extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to adjust and yet be extremely reliable and durable for the rugged service 20 required on automobiles.

I accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings in which: i t

Fig. 1 is a front View of my electric clock 2 driving mechanism with a'very large part of the front plate removed showing the armature 'and'contacting mechanismin the posi- .-tion just after the magnet has been energized.

Fig. 2 is a frontview of my, electric clock 3orlriving mechanism similar to Fig.1 showingthe armature and contacting mechanism in the position when the electro-magnet is being energized. i c Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1. V V 35 .Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the contacting end of armature and the contacting mechanism in the position shown in Fig ure 1.

Similar parts are indicated by thesame numerals throughout the several views.v

In the drawings 1 is the rear plate and 2 the front plate of a suitable movement frame which plates are held together bymeans of thepillarsfi which arefastened on the plate 1 and have a threaded shouldered part 4 which passes. through the plate 2 which is mfastiened thereto by means of the nuts 5 shown. Mounted between plates 1 and 2 is an electro-magnet 6 having pole pieces? and the wire winding 8 one end of wh ch wire wind- 7 28 of the clutch 27 fastened on ing 8 is connected to the connector post 9 which is on plate 1 but electrically insulated therefrom, by means of the wire 10, as shown. I r r 1 Journaled in apertures at ther'center of plates 1 and 2 is a shaftll on which is fastened a ratchet wheel 12 having the teeth 13 V which engage a pawl 1 1 which is pivotally mounted on;a rivet pin 15 fastened in the plate 2, said pawl 14 being held engage ment with the teeth 13-by means'of the spring 16 which is fastenedto a pin 17 1nounted on the plate 2. The pawl 14 prevents the ratchet wheel 12 fromrotating ina counter-clockwise direction so that it is evident that the said ratchet wheel 12 can only be rotated in the clockwise direction which is accomplished by means of a pawl 18 which also engages the teeth 13 which pawl is pivotally connected to a rivet pin 19 fastened to projection 20 of the armature21 which is pivotally mounted between the plates 1 and 2 by means of the pin 22 shown, the armature 21 being positloned adjacent to the pole pieces 7 of the electro-magnet 6 and prevented from actu= ally touching said pole pieces when magnet s energized because of the non-magnetic plate 23-being inserted between said armature and said pole pieces. Thepawl 18 has a projecting hook24 which is fastened to one end of the power storing spring 25', the other end .of said sprlng being fastened to a pin 26 on the plate 2. lVheneverthe magnet 6 is de-energized by thenieans 'described bclow it is evident that the power storing spring will cause theratchet wheel 12 to rotatein the clockwise directionof rotation which rotation will be transmitted to any suitabledevice thatwill engaged with the clutch arms 7 the shaft 11 as shown- I 1 i h/Iountedon the armature 21 by meansof the screw 29 is a suitably shaped member 30 through which passes a. resilient or spring contacting member 31 which is fastened to a bracket 32 which is fastenedto the plate 1 by means of the screw and pins shown. The member 30 has a'threaded bolt 33 havingthe slot shown fitted into an aperture on same which bolt can be lockedin position by means of the nut 34. The function of the bolt 33 is to form an adjustable means to control the position of the spring 31 so that its end 35 will line up with and fall into an aperture 36 in a holding spring 37. The holding spring 37 has an inclined part 38 adjacent to said "aperture 36 which co-acts with a projecting pin 39 on said armature 21 to force away the lower end of spring 37 causing the end 35 of the spring 31 to disengage from the said aperture 36 as said pin 39 is moved downwardly when the armature 21 is moved away from the pole pieces 7 of magnet 6 as the power of power storing spring is nnloaded and transferred to the driven device (as shown in Fig. 2) and permitting the said end of spring 31 to enter aperture 36 when the energizing of the magnet 6 draws the armature 21 upwardly as shown in Figures land 4. The spring-37 is adjustably mounted on a bracket 40 which bracket 40 is fas- *tened to plate 1 by means of the screw and pins shown. Said adjustable mounting of said s ring-37 comprises a suitablyshaped shoul ered nut 41 mounted in an aperture tacting part 46 which engages with a co-opmun contact part 47 which is mounted on a post 48 which has a shouldered threaded part which passes through an aperture in plate 1 and whichis electrically insulated from plate 1 by meansof the electrical insulating material indicated at 49 (see Fig. 3) adjacent to said shouldered part and is fastened to plate 1 bymeans of the nut 50.

The opposite end of said insulated post l-S is connected with the other end of the wire winding 8 of the magnet 6 by means of the metal spring strip 51 so that when one side of a source of electrical power is connected tothe insulated connector post 9 on plate 1 as above described and the other side of the source of electrical power is connected to a connecting post-52 which is electrically conneted (grounded) with plate land contact arts 46 and 47 are in engagement as shown 11 "Figure 2 the electrical current will pass through the winding 8 of electro-magnet 6 and energize said magnet. My electric drivi mechanism operates as follows: .Wimn as just above described the contact- 'ing parts 46 and 47 come into engagement and the eIectro-magnet 6 is energized the armature 21 is immediately attracted to the pole pieces and moved upwardly storing the power in spring 25 until that in due course the screw part 33 reaches the spring 31 and raises its end 35 until said end falls into the aperture 36 in the meantime pulling the con tacting part 46 from the contacting part 47, thus breaking the electrical circuit and deenergizing the magnet 6 putting the armature 21 under the influence of the power storing spring25. The contacting spring 31 will be held in the position shown in Figures 1 and 4 (keeping contacting parts 46 and 47 out of engagement) until. the armature 21 which is moving away from the pole pieces 7 of magnet 6 under the influence of the power storing spring 25 reaches a point where the projection 39 touches inclined part 38 of the holding spring 37 having the aperture 36 and which is sufiicicntly moved to the right so that the end 35 of the contacting spring 31 is free from the aperture 36 when the spring 31 will snap quickly downwardly and permit contacting part 46 to touch the co-operating contact part 47, and the action above described will be repeated as long the connecting posts 9 and 52 are connected with the source of electrical power.

From the above description it is evident that my electric clock driving mechanism is extremely rugged and simple in construction,

easy to adjust, inexpensive to produce and positive in action.

It will be understood of course, that while I have here shown one form of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown but desire to have it taken in a sense illustrative of any and all the forms of same thatcome iairly within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In an electric clock driving mechanism, a frame, an electro-magnet mounted on said frame, a power storing means mounted adjacent to said electro-magnet, an armature pivotally mounted adjacent to said magnet and associated with said power storing means, a contacting spring adjacent to said armature one end of which contacting spring is fastened to said frame, adjustable means on said armature actuating said contactin spring, adjustable holding means mounted on said frame having an aperture engaging the other end of said contacting spring, a cam surface on said holding means engaging said armature and a cooperative contacting means mounted on said frame, but electrically insulated therefrom.

2. In an electric clock driving mechanism, a frame, an electro-magnet mounted on said frame, a power storing means mounted adjacent to said electro-magnet, an armature pivotally mounted adjacent to said magnet and associated with said power storing means, a contacting spring adjacent to said armature one end of which contacting spring is fastened to said frame, adjustable means on said armature actuating said contacting spring, adjustable holding means mounted on said frame engaging the other end of said contacting spring, a cam surface on said holding means engaging said armature and a co-operative contacting means mounted on said frame.

3. In an electric clock driving mechanism, an electro-magnet, an armature pivotally mounted adjacent to said magnet, power stor- 7 ing means associated with said armature, an

integral resilient member having one end mounted adjacent to said armature, adjustable means on said armature co-acting with said resilient member, a holding means having an aperture associated with said resilient member actuated by said armature and a co-operating contacting part mounted in the path of said resilient member.

4. In an electric clock driving mechanism, an electro-nia-gnet, an armature pivotally mounted adjacent to said magnet, power storing means associated with said armature, an integral resilient independently mounted member having one end adjacent to said armature, means on said armature oo-acting with said resilient member, an adjustably mounted holding means having an aperture operatively associated with said resilient member and said armature and a co-operating contacting part mounted in the path of said resilient member.

5. In an electric clock driving mechanism, an electro-magnet an armature, power storing means associated with said armature, an integral resilient member independently mounted adjacent to said armature, means on said armature co-acting with said resilient member, a holding means having an.

aperture operatively associated with said resilient member and said armature and a cooperating contacting part mounted in the path of said resilient member.

MARTIN HERMANN KAEFER. 

